It’s a great time to start your Tiscali business and have a second income.

April 2nd, 2009

tiscali-logoI have a very nice second income from my Tiscali business.  The role involves recommending Tiscali broadband, phone and TV services and recruiting others to do the same.   Several streams of income are generated including a commission for signing up a new account and an ongoing residual income from all the income generated from customer billing.

Now is a great time to sign up and join the team and here’s why.

Tiscali Network have just announced a new and revised pay plan which will take effect from May ’09. 

  • There is a 50% increase for all new product registrations.  That means that we now get £15 for each new product so if you sign someone up with broadband, phone and TV you get £45
  • There is an increased bonus for signing up a new recruit.  Instead of £30 we now get £45
  • The team bonus has risen from 0.75p to £1.00.  This means that for each new customer anywhere in your downline you get a pound.
  • It is now totally free to join!  There is nolonger a £199 charge to graduate from IBA to IBM.  The annual admin fee of £20 has also been scrapped!

tiscali_92x92_make_money2I am on an intensified recruitment drive.  If you want to join my team, get in there early and get a good placement within the matrix.  I am looking for entrepreneurial people who are ‘driven’ and keen to make this business work for them as it does for me.  Training and training materials are all included (free).

Click here for more information (just enter your name and email address – I’m the only one that sees it) or click here to sign up now!

Patrick Markham with Tiscali Network high earners Peter Powderham and Elaine Fishberg

Improve your mobile phone signal with a repeater

March 28th, 2009

I have struggled for so long at home with a poor mobile phone signal.  I have to stand in the doorway to send a text.  I am afraid to pick up the phone in case it is a business call that is going to get cut off.

at-600-repeaterToday I have installed one of the best gadgets since sat nav!   It is a mobile phone signal repeater.  My very own mobile phone cell site!  We now have a 4 or 5 (out of 5) bar signal right round the house. 

The AT-600 from AnyTone is a 60dB amplifier with a high gain (11dB) outdoor yagi antenna and an indoor 2.5dB omni-directional antenna.   This kit works in the 900Mhz band which means it is suitable for O2 and Vodafone.

at-600-booster-kitInstallation is a breeze.  The first thing to do is ring your service provider and find out where your nearest cell site is.  You may find that the person you speak to cannot give you this information.  You should thank them very much, put the phone down and ring back.  Repeat this process until you have found a clued up customer service person and managed to plot all the cell sites in your area. 

In my case I found that the nearest O2 cell site was 4 miles (6km) away and exactly south west from here.  I was wondering how and where I was going to erect a mast to put the outdoor yagi antenna on.  My other half hates the sight of aerials on the roof and wondered why it couldn’t just go in the loft with the TV antenna.  Brilliant idea!  Saves me some work and the signal should be fine from up there.

So, the yagi is wedged in the loft and pointing directly south-west.  The AT-600 and the indoor antenna is mounted in the cupboard under the stairs.  I have a solid mobile phone signal.  Fantastic!

There are several suppliers of this kit on eBay.  The one I chose is called flash-mart and is located in Hong Kong.  At the time of writing he has a 100% feedback score and over 5,000 sales.  I asked a couple of questions before I purchased and he came back quickly with knowledgeable answers.

The photos I have used belong to him so here’s a link to his eBay listing.  His photos and very descriptive text are excellent so take a look.  If you have any questions about this kit then do post a comment and I will be happy to help.

It’s time for broadband on the move!

March 14th, 2009

Right, the time has surely come for mobile broadband in my life.  I want to be able to access o2_mobile_broadband_modemthe Internet from my laptop where ever I happen to be.  Whether it’s out and about on client sites or while camping in the top left corner of Wales.

Mobile broadband is now well and truly with us and its popularity is growing at an incredible rate.  It can now boast decent speeds and affordable prices.  In the past the expense just wasn’t worth it.  PC Plus magazine once worked out that you could download 20GB for the price of a semi-detached house!

So which operator is best?  Do I go with O2 (my phone provider) or Vodafone, Orange, T Mobile or 3?

After initial reading in the PC mags I had decided that Vodafone would be the best bet.  My respect for that company changed dramatically after my partner’s experience of Vodafone’s customer service when she tried to get a PAC code.  Read all about it in her blog.

O2 joined the mobile race a little later and it took them a while to get up to speed.  I am now expecting that speed is no longer an issue on their network.  I’m currently favouring O2 as my mobile provider.

Contract or PAYG is the next option to ponder.  Currently around £15/month for a contract or £15/month pay as you go.   Since my usage is going to be sporadic, I reckon that by not using the thing at all for a couple of months will save me £30/year.

That’s it then!  Let’s try an o2 PAYG modem!  A review will no doubt follow.

Update: 23/03/2009 – Got one!  I’ve not put any credit on it yet but the software seems good.  More details to follow.

How to install and Register AVG Anti Virus and AVG Internet Security

December 27th, 2008

avgThe aim of this post is to address the most common issues when installing and registering AVG security products.

To begin, simply insert the CD and follow the on screen instructions.  The same software can also be downloaded and installed from the AVG website.  Once installed, you will find that you have a fully working version of the software with a 30 day trial period.

Now you need to license the product.  When you purchased the product you will have been issued with an AVG SALES NUMBER.  What you need to do is to convert this sales number into a LICENSE CODE.

You should visit the AVG website at avg.co.uk  Near the bottom of the page you should click on the link that says Register AVG.  You should now register the product by entering your AVG SALES NUMBER and your personal details.  Once done you will be issued with your LICENSE NUMBER.  This will be displayed on screen and sent to you by email.

If you get a message telling you that your Sales Number is invalid then you need to make sure that you have typed it correctly.  The most common mistake is with the Internet Security product.  You should note that the code begins 80I (that’s capital I for India).  It is often mistaken for a number 1 (one) or lower case L.  It is an I and it stands for Internet Security!

If you experience any further issues then please post your experiences here and I will make sure that readers are updated.

To purchase AVG products at discount prices click here.

Lincoln’s Captivating Nativity Journey

December 26th, 2008

The other night we visited Lincoln Castle to take part in the annually performed Christmas story “The Journey”.  Presented by local actors, The Journey is a promenade performance set in the enchantingly under-lit grounds of the Castle.  It was led and narrated by Jason Hippisley in the role of Jesus as he looks back on his beginnings.

Our children are of course getting quite familiar with the story of the baby Jesus.  They all take part in the primary school nativity playing roles such as kings, angels or shepherds.  Our pre-school three year old was able to watch his older brothers and sister perform.  When asked where the baby Jesus was born he confidently, if somewhat patronisingly, exclaimed “On the stage in front of the donkey. Derrr.”

Having experienced all of this at school it was a real thrill for them to visit the Castle and follow the journey of Mary, Joseph and the donkey.  We could see the shepherds minding the sheep in the neighbouring fields.  We spotted the three Wise Men in the distance as they made their way around the perimeter wall of the Castle.  We witnessed several inn keepers miming the frustrating news that they were fully booked.

Eventually Mary and Joseph parked their donkey and settled in the Castle’s bath house making a wonderfully intimate stable.  From the distance we could hear the cries of a new born baby and we could see a hive of activity as various visitors assembled.

Jesus then led the following crowd up the hill and we were all invited in turn to enter the stable and take a closer look at the shepherds, the three wise men and of course, at the centre of the scene, the baby Jesus in his mother’s arms with Joseph looking proudly on.  A radiant angel hovered above to over see the tale as it had been foretold.

USB to Ethernet Print Server that works for the PC and the MAC

December 7th, 2008

It is surely not much to ask.  I have an old USB HP Deskjet printer.  I want to be able to print to it accross the network from a Vista PC and a MAC running OSX.

That’s all.

Is there a print server that will do it?  I can’t find one.  In the past I have tried various Netgear offerings and something from Belkin as well as something from Linksys.  For nearly two years now I have used a laptop running Windows XP as the print server.  Its a rather untidy piece of over-kill just to run a printer.

Please leave a comment here if you have a solution.  I’ll update you if I find out anything worth while.

Improve your broadband speeds

December 5th, 2008

bt-faceplateWhenever you report a broadband fault to the Indian customer support team at your ISP you are always told to unplug all your internal wiring and connect your modem to the master socket.  I had heard that you can improve your service a little by connecting to the master socket but I never really thought it could make a huge difference.

Today I know different!  This week I have rewired our house of all its telephone cabling.  We are 4 or 5 miles from the exchange.  Our connection speed was struggling to reach 1MB/s.  The modem is now locked in at a solid 2592KB/s and the online speed checker reports a consistent 2ishMB/s. 

There were a couple of daisy-chained extentions and an external bell.  Its just occured to me that with the old wiring system, the bell wasn’t even broadband-filtered.  Most of the wiring seemed in pretty good condition.

The new BT master socket has a ‘filtered front’ on it.  The Netgear modem sits right next to the socket on a very short length of cable.  The two extension sockets and the external bell all connect to the master socket with top quality cable.  The PCs in the house are supplied with Ethernet CAT5e cable from the Netgear modem/router.

So there we have it.  It really is worth checking your home cabling and seeing what obstacles your broadband signal encounters.  I know several of my clients who have very dodgy wiring under doorways, for example.  You could improve your connection speed no end.

If you are in the Lincoln area and you’d like me to take a look at your installation, get in touch – wwwPatrickMarkham.com

The Toro petrol mower is doing okay

October 17th, 2008

This is the follow up story to “Let Down by Mountfield Petrol Mowers“  on 19th August.

I had decided that my Lawnmower fund was not going to be spent at B&Q after all the trouble we’d had; but I was in there after sitting in traffic for ages and then not finding what it was that I’d come for.  I didn’t want a completely wasted journey so I kind of impulsively came home with the Toro.  It was either that, or buy flowers for being so impossibly late home.

It’s the self propelled 48cm Recycler Lawn Mower with the Briggs & Stratton petrol engine.  It has a lever which switches the option from grass box collection to mulching.  I must admit that I much prefer to mulch rather than keep messing around with grass boxes.

The engine is good and doesn’t miss a beat.  It doesn’t struggle and it doesn’t stall every 5 minutes.  It is well built.  No bits have fallen of it yet!  It’s now the end of the grass cutting season but I think I’ll be sticking with this one.

Ken Campbell is buried

September 9th, 2008

This blog follows my previous entry “Ken Campbell Dies Suddenly

This morning Ken Campbell personally welcomed us to his own funeral.

Over the sound system we heard ”Do you realise, the word FUNERAL…” it was Ken’s usual very nasal and now ethereal voice, “is actually an anagram for  REAL FUN!”  Pause for laughter.  “Why are you lot down there looking so miserable?  I was a clown.  You should be throwing a flan or something.”

This wasn’t going to be any normal kind of day.

Nina Conti

Chris Langham

Chris Langham

Ken’s daughter, Daisy, spoke first.  She revealed that as a child she would have to write a poem if she wanted new shoes.  She read a poem she had written for Ken this week.  It was an outstanding tribute.  Daisy was followed by Jeff Merrifield on “Campbellogy”.  Next members of the original Ken Campbell roadshow including Bob Hoskins recalled stories from those early days in their careers.  Josh D’Arcy was next.  Not so much Josh really, but more so a bull dog who Josh supplied the ventriloquist voice for as it recited “Gentlemen of the Jury”!  Next Chris Langham addressed.  He was later heard with the aside “This is the best gig I’ve had in two years”! <huge laughter>  Nina Conti shared her Ken stories next and so did her monkey!
Jim Broadbent

Jim Broadbent

Jim Broadbent then added his memories during the service.  He talked about how he got his first job with Ken back in the seventies.  There was an occasion when they were touring the show and stayed in a hotel with far too many people and far too few lifts.  There was always a huge crowd waiting in the lobby for the lift to come.  Ken, Jim and the rest of the theatre company were travelling down in the lift one morning.  Suddenly Ken said “Down on the floor everyone.  Put your hands and legs in the air.”  Everyone did as they were told. Well, you did when Ken spoke!  So there they all were, on the floor, with their arms and legs in the air.  As the doors opened on the ground floor in front of a packed lobby Ken said “My, that came down at one hell of a lick!”

Ken’s coffin was taken to the woods on a dog-drawn carriage.  He was laid to rest in beautiful woodland under the leafy trees of Epping Forrest.

People gathered in groups telling each other their ‘Ken stories’.  As I mingled I’d hear various impressions of that nasal voice as the Ken quotes kept pouring out.  They were invariably followed with a knowing laughter from the listener.

I have learned today that Ken Campbell touched and influenced the lives of so many people.  Everyone who has worked with Campbell seems to have a little bit of Ken still inside them.

Ken Campbell Dies Suddenly

September 1st, 2008

Eccentric English writer, actor, director and comedian Ken Campbell died suddenly yesterday, August 31st 2008.  He was found at his home in Epping Forest.  He was 66. 

The cause of death is currently unknown but it is reported that Ken was not ill.  He had in fact been on stage just days earlier at the Edinburgh Festival with his show Showstopper! – The Improvised Musical.

Ken was a friend of the Broadbent Theatre.  He visited us first with “The History of Comedy Part I: Ventriloquism” in October 2002.  He followed  this in April 2004 with “The Meaning of Life: I’m Not Mad.  I’ve Just Read Different Books”.  His third visit was perhaps his most remarkable.  Ken arrived one Saturday in November 2005 at 2pm.  I presented him with 11 amateur actors.  He spent the afternoon in workshop mode and taught the principles of Improvisation.  That night the packed house was treated to a hilarious and quite outstandingly entertaining impro performance.  Ken’s most recent visit to us was in May 2007 with “Hyphenator” when he displayed a gallery of art by his talented parrot, Dolly.

We didn’t book Ken in the usual sense.  It was he who found us.  One day in 2002 I got a call from Ken’s agent, Colin Watkeys.  Colin explained that Ken had been listening to Radio 4 and came across a programme about the Broadbent Theatre.  Ken rang Colin and said “The Broadbent Theatre.  Why have you never booked me in there?”  “The where?” replied Colin.  “You know, Jim’s parents place.” ”Who?” said Colin.  ”Jim Broadbent.  The Broadbent Theatre.  I want to go there.”  Colin did some research, found the website and called me.

Now, if I’m honest, I have to say that I wasn’t really sure who Ken Campbell was.  I Googled his name.  There, to my astonishment, near the top of the page was a reference from Jim Broadbent’s biography on my very own website, broadbent.org!  It read “A significant breakthrough came in 1976 when he (Jim Broadbent) appeared in Ken Campbell’s ‘Illuminatus’ a 12 hour sci-fi extravaganza in which he played a dozen characters.

Jim Broadbent actually came to see that first performance “The History of Comedy…”  It was so interesting to hear them catching up in the pub afterwards.  Jim once said to me that chatting to Ken in a pub is very much like seeing him on stage except that you can occasionally get a word in sideways!”.  On his second visit Ken stayed with us at our house.  Having a drink with him that night was indeed like being treated to a 4 hour extension of his show!

Ken Campbell (1941-2008) will be missed.  May he have a safe journey to wherever the heck he thinks his going!